One Heart
by YouAreAnEchoRiver
Summary: Set three months after the Doctor left his clone with Rose in the parallel world. Rose has become overwhelmed by everything, unable to cope with it. The Doctor worries about her incessantly but feels he is pushing her away.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters.**

**A/N: This is my first story in a long time. I've written so many and never posted them but I felt this should be posted, just for fun I guess? I don't have much time to write, what with school, but I have all summer to keep writing. There will be more chapters, this is only the beginning. Enjoy! Or not, it's up to you XD.**

He had one heart, one lifetime. That's all she wanted since the day they met, to be able to spend the rest of her life with him, to have him by her side for the rest of time. But this man wasn't the one in those dreams. Sure they shared the same memories, looks, and personality but something was different. She had lost the love of her life, yet gained him. She still struggled with how it all happened, a clone grown from Donna touching the hand in the TARDIS, a 100% twin of her beloved Doctor. There was no real difference between the real Doctor and the clone, except that the real Doctor wasn't in the parallel world with her, but in space…probably with another woman. She wanted him to be happy and have other companions more than anything; her only fear was that someday he'd forget her. It was weird knowing there were two of them, knowing the clone had all of the memories the Doctor did. She still couldn't wrap her head around it. She knew the clone was practically the Doctor but she missed the real one. She questioned whether he loved her because he "had" to or if it's what the Doctor would have done if given the chance.

"Rose?", his clam and stoic voice broke her thoughts. She slightly turned her head to face him. He had become calmer since he was with her here. He was still the energetic man he used to be but he showed more emotion, more of his softer side she rarely saw during her time on the TARDIS.

"Mm?"

"You okay?" He cocked his head, waiting for the answer he knew was coming.

"Yeah…"

"Your mom and I are going to run down to the store, you need anything?"

She shook her head, her hair falling in front of her eyes, "No, thanks though."

He walked over to her, slowly placing his cold hand on her shoulder, leaving it there for a few seconds. She closed her eyes, paying attention to his gesture. As he walked out of her room he paused in the doorway to watch his brilliant girl, letting a tiny smile show before walking out.

She had spent almost every day of the last 3 months thinking about what was going on, each successive day rattling her head even more. She could see what it was doing to him. His eyes had lost their glow as his worry for her increased. She knew it was all her fault, but when she had tried to forget it she failed miserably. She reached her hand out to the picture frame on her desk, a picture of the two of them. It was their second day together. Her mom had insisted on getting a picture of the two. They were standing arm in arm with smiles on their faces. They had spent the day in London shopping and enjoying the unusually nice weather. Their first together was wonderful, like she had her best friend back. But then her mind wandered into this depression. She wiped away the warm tears that began streaming down her cheeks. She wanted to erase the pain, be happy, but it seemed impossible. It seemed as if the last week was the roughest. She didn't know why, what she did know was that it needed to end before it ruined her family and the man who had shown her who she really was.

His eyes felt heavy, dark circles under them. He was exhausted, never sleeping more than 3 hours during the night. He constantly paced around his room and when he wasn't pacing he was checking on Rose, just to comfort his mind. He couldn't explain his love for her. He loved her as a friend and more. She had shown him how to love, something he was afraid to do until he met her. He was watching his best friend, the love of his life, drift away from him. It scared her more than anything, more than cybermen, daleks, the end of the world, and even his own death. He missed all the fun they had on the TARDIS, it wasn't the same. He worried that the thrill was gone, that subconsciously she only loved him for showing her the world. He couldn't figure out why she was so recluse now, was it something he had done? The more he thought about it, the more upset he became with himself. He would never give up on her, even if she didn't want him.

"How is she?" Jackie was her typical self but she could see her daughter and the man who loved her spiraling into impending madness.

"Same as always." He ran his hands through his ruffled hair, then back down his face.

Jackie grabbed her purse and opened the front door, "Come on you". They walked out, Jackie closing the door quietly behind her. The air was crisp; the beginning of fall was more prevalent than ever. He got into the car and put his head against the window, his breath creating a little circle of moisture. He could feel Jackie periodically glancing over at him. At least it was a beautiful ride there. He watched the trees as they passed them.

"You know she loves you right?" She finally spoke, her voice flat with sincerity.

He looked down, clenching his hands together, "No she doesn't… we have to face that fact Jackie."

"Doctor, she-"

"I don't know why she won't talk to me, it kills me Jackie, and I can't take it. I love her so much. I can't stand to sit back and watch her like this but she won't tell me what's wrong. What did I do? Did I push her away?"

"Sweetie, listen to me, that girl loves you no matter what you think. You may not see it but I do, I see the way she looks at you, under that sadness there is only love. She hasn't talked to me either but there's no way in hell it's something you did." She reached over and grabbed his hand "Stop beating yourself up."

"I want to talk to her, but I'm afraid she'll hate me more. I don't want to push her too far. I already feel like I annoy her."

Jackie shook her head "I think you _need_ to push her, she won't hate you, she loves you more than anything. I wasn't going to tell you this, but when you left her on the beach the first time she stood there for so long, hoping you'd come back for her. She hoped for so long, always talking about the TARDIS and all the places you took her, not to mention all the godforsaken alien things. I knew she missed you, you could tell by the way she talked about you. I'd catch her crying and talking in her sleep, always about never seeing you again. So I don't want to hear another word about this being your fault." She let go of his hand and placed it back on the steering wheel.

His eyes became teary and he looked out the window so Jackie wouldn't see. He had to accept this. She really did love him didn't she? But what happened?

**Oooo suspense, not really though. So I'm planning to continue this, as I previously stated. I'm not asking for reviews but if you're bored let me know what you thought so far, it would be appreciated! I just want to get a sense of what you guys think =)**


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